Fence-post attachment.



No.r 636,855, Patented Nov. I4, |899.

W. H. SAWYER'.

FENCE PUST ATTACHMENT.

(Application led July 25, 1899.)

(No Model.)

PATENT Erica.

WALTER H. SAVVYER, OF AMERIOUS, GEORGIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN B.FELDER, OF SAME PLACE.

FENCE-POST ATTACHMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 636,855, dated November14, 1899. Application filed .l'uly 25, 1899. Serial No. 725,089. KNO111001610 T0 @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER H. SAWYER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Americus, in the county of Sumter and State of Georgia, haveinvented a new and useful Fence-Post Attachment, of which the followingis a specification.

It is a well-known fact that barbed and other wire fences which comprisein their structure simply runnerwires connected to suitable posts arenot readily discernible to stock, and for this reason the latterfrequently accidentally run against such fences, thereby damaging thelatter and also themselves. In view of this difficulty the presentinvention is designed to render wire fences more discernible, and hasfor its object to provide improved means for mounting a board or railupon the fence-posts to take the place of one of the runner-wires, andthereby present a larger surface, which may be readily seen by thestock. Furthermore, it is designed to provide a detachable bracket forsupporting the board or rail, preferably at the top of the post, and itis contemplated to provide a plurality of such brackets upon asinglepost, so that rails or boards may be conveniently fastened to metallicfence-posts, and thereby take the place of the runner-wires.

To these ends the presentinvention consists in the combination andarrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shownin the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in theappended claims, it being understood that changes in the form,proportion, size, and the minor'details of construction may be madewithin the scope of the appended claims without departing from thespirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the present invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a fence-post havingthe present invention applied thereto and supporting a board or rail atthe top of the post. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof. isa plan view of the base for the post. Fig. 4 is a detail perspectiveview of the detachable rail or board supporting bracket. Fig. 5 is anenlarged transverse sectional view taken on the line a: :c of Fig. 2.Fig. 6 is an elevation of a fence-post, showing a plurality Fig. 3

of rails connected to the post by the present bracket.

Corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings aredesignated by like characters of reference.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, l designates a metallicfencepost,substantially V-shaped in cross-section, having its anglededge cut or slotted, so as to provide upwardlyprojecting tongues 2.These tongues are bent outward from the post, so that the runnerwires 3may be engaged between the tongues and the adjacent sides of the post,the base of the slots in the opposite sides of the post being enlarged,as at 4, so as to readily receive the respective runner-wires. After thewires have been seated in these enlargements of the slots the tonguesare forced inward to their normal position, as best illustrated in Fig.2, thereby closing the entrances into the enlargements of the slots andeffectively locking the runner-wires upon the fence-post.

As indicated in Fig. 2, it will be seen that the opposite sides of thepost are beveled downwardly toward the angled corner thereof, as at 5,so as to point the lower e'nd of the post and facilitate the drivingthereof into the ground. The base for the post is shown in Fig. 3 andcomprises a fiat metallic plate 6, having a substantially V -shaped slot7 formed therein and adapted to receive the lower end of the fence-post.Also, the base is vprovided with opposite openings 8 for the receptionof fastening devices 9. As shown in Figs. l and 2, this base-plate fitsflush uponthe top of the ground, and the fastenings 9 are driven throughthe openings 8 and located at opposite sides of the post, so that thelatter is effectively braced and maintained in an upright position.

The means for supporting a rail or board upon the fence-post comprises adetachable bracket 10, which is shown in detail in Fig. 4. This bracketis formed from a single blank of metal struck into an angular shape toflt the angled edge of the fence-post. The lower end of the body of thebracket is reduced to form a foot ll, and projecting laterally inopposite directions and intermediate of the foot and the body is a pairof ears l2, which are disposed in the same plane as the adjacent IOOside of the bracket. Projecting laterally from the upper end of thebracket and upon the outer or convex side thereof is a horizontalshoulder 13, having an upwardly-extending tongue or flange 14, locatedat the outer end of the shoulder.

In the application of the bracket the lower portion thereof is insertedbetween the upper tongue and the adjacent sides of the post, the foot 11being upon the inner side of the post and fitting snugly in the vertexbetween the angled sides thereof and the ears 12 embracing the outeropposite sides of the post and seated upon the base of the enlargements4. The tongue 2 is then bent firmly inward against the outer side of thebracket, and the transverse shoulder 13 of the latter rests upon theupper end of the tongue and is eifectively braced thereby. Thus it willbe seen that the flange 14 is olset outwardly from the post, and therail 15 is seated upon the shoulder 13 and embraced between the iiange14 and the adjacent side of the post, whereby the rail is effectivelyconnected to the post without driving fastening devices therethrough andalso permitting of the ready removal of the rail.

As shown in Fig. 6, it will be seen that several brackets may beconnected to the post by means of the respective tongues 2, so thatrails may be substituted for the runner-wires, and thereby form a boardfence having durable metallic posts.

lVhat I claim is- 1. The combination with a fence-post having a tonguecut therefrom, of a detachable bracket clamped between the tongue andthebody of the post, and provided with a lateral shoulder located above theupper end of the tongue, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination with a fence-post having a tongue cut therefrom, of adetachable bracket clamped between the tongue and the body of the post,and provided with a lateral shoulder located above and supported uponthe upper end of the tongue, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination with a substantially hollow fence-post having atongue cut therefrom, of a detachable .bracket clamped between saidtongue and the body of the post, said bracket being provided at itslower end with a pendent foot fitting snugly against the inner side ofthe post, and a lateral shoulder located above the upper end of thetongue, substantially as shown and described.

4. The combination with a fence-post, having a tongue cut therefrom, ofa detachable bracket adapted to be iitted between the tongue and theadjacent side of the post, and provided with lateral ears embracing thepost, and a lateral shoulder for supporting a board or rail,substantially as shown and described.

5. The combination with a fence-post, having a tongue cut therefrom, ofa detachable bracket adapted to be fitted between the tongue and theadjacent side of the post, said bracket having a foot at its lower endand litting against the inner side of the post, oppositely-extendinglateral ears embracing the outer side of the post, and a lateraloutwardlyextending shoulder for supporting a board or rail,substantially as shown and described.

6. The combination with a metallic fencepost of substantially V shape incross-section, and having a tongue out from the angled edge thereof, ofa detachable angled bracket adapted to be fitted between the tongue andthe adj aeent sides of the post, said bracket having a pendent angledfoot :fitting snugly in the vertex of the angled sides of the post,opposite laterally-extending ears embracing the opposite outer sides ofthe post,a lateral outwardlyextending shoulder at the upper end of thebracket, and a flange projecting upwardly from the shoulder and offsetfrom the post, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

7. The combination with an angled fencepost having a tongue cut from theangled edge thereof, of an angled detachable bracket litting snugly theouter angled side of the post, and between the latter and the tongue,and provided with a pendent angled foot fitting snugly the inner angularside of the post, and a lateral shoulder located above the upper end ofthe tongue, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aixed mysignature in the presence of two witnesses.

WALTER I'I. SAWYER.

lVitnesses:

W. T. HANFIELD, C. M. COUNCIL.

